Murder Mystery Party: Intrigue At Sparkling Water

The "Murder Mystery Party" games are one of the originals created back in the home murder mystery party heyday. Created in 1986, these boxed games come in very simple packaging and you get the very basic, bare bones essentials to use. The game comes with a three-paged host guide, (complete with simple instructions), small invitations to be mailed for each guest, with simple white envelopes, a two-paged synopsis of the murder to be read at the start of the party (this one takes the form of a newspaper article), name tags for each guest (simple white sticky labels with the character name and a few words describing who they are (i.e. wife of so and so, business partner to so and so). A two-paged solution to the mystery to be read at the end of the party, and a flimsy LP recording of the murder. (You need an old record player to play it, however it is not necessary to use in the game). I don't have an LP record player anymore but based on some other parties I had in this line, the recordings usually are very brief and contain the sounds of the crime being committed. (Usually this recording offers very little in the way of clues, it's just to add an extra dimension to set the scene). These games are not bad, but they have very little scripted information. You are told all the facts your character knows at the start of the party. The game is then played in four rounds, with a prologue in which the players introduce themselves and the epilogue in which the players take turns making accusations and then reading the final solution. in each of the four rounds, your character is given one statement to read or paraphrase. Otherwise the game is very free in form. If your group loves to role play and can take a bare bones script and ad lib, then you may enjoy this line of games. If your group needs more structure or a bit more script, then these games may be a waste of time. The crimes are pretty simple and the solution makes sense. It's up to your players to flesh out the game. Basically only the murderer can lie, everyone must tell the truth, though they can be evasive, try to change the subject or accuse other people instead. With not much information you really have to want to dive in to these types of games. "Intrigue at Sparkling Water" details the murder of Jacob Hart, a rich industrialist and owner of the JNH Sparkling Water Company in Colorado. He is found shot to death by his own 12 gauge shotgun in his offices at the plant. The suspects include his plant foreman, a local bar owner (who was romantically involved with Hart in the past), his current fiance, who resides on a family ranch next door to the plant. The family ranch is run by her mother and her younger brother, who are also suspects. Rounding out the cast includes the victim's business partner, his socialite wife and a local attorney. The game has a very 80's Dallas/Knots Landing feel to it. A very simple, straight forward mystery game, that relies on your acting and role playing skills. Can be entertaining, but if you need more structure and script, then it may not be for your group. These games were later expanding and fleshed out a bit more, but their simple nature and bare bones scripts stayed the same. (See the colorful boxed version of "Murder on Misty Island" and "The Icicle Twist" both from this same company, to understand what I mean. If you don't like those two titles, you may not like this one either).